Sunday, March 18, 2012

A COLD BLUSTERY SUNDAY COMPLETE WITH SNOW!!

It was the lightning on the horizon high atop the Weaver Mountains that first alerted me to the coming storm. It was dark & I was outside with the furry kids. Minutes later a deluge of rain drops had us scrambling back into the Motorhome. It had begun.

The rain set up quite a clatter on the roof & the wind rattled the slide awnings. It was to this cacophony of of sound that I drifted off to sleep around 10 & was back up again at 12:30. My biggest worry was our Mifi up on the roof. Despite putting it in a plastic container & wrapping everything in a plastic bag I was worried about the driving rain finding it’s way in & ruining the unit. I had set a rock on top of the container to prevent the wind gusts from blowing it off the roof but was convinced the powerful gusts would blow that rock right off the container, over the side of the rig & smash off a side mirror. Yep, had myself worried about all the worse case scenarios alright.

Turned the computer on & fully expected to have no internet connection whatsoever but was surprised to see the Google search page pop right up. Stayed on the computer to nearly 4 in the morning catching up on some long overdue email correspondence. Although very tired, I did finally fall asleep with a good feeling inside knowing I had caught up a few emails.

Kelly is dealing with a badly twisted ankle. While in the driveway Saturday with her cell phone she stepped on a rock which turned her ankle bringing her to the ground in a heap. Ankle is swollen & she has been painfully limping ever since. Same ankle she twisted badly on a hike near Borrego Springs 3 years ago. Will she consider going to the nearby medical clinic to have it checked out. Probably not, she’s even worse than I am about that ‘running to the Doctor’ stuff.

Surprised to see snow on the ground when we woke up. Didn’t take me long to get outside in my pajamas & frazzled hair to take a few snow photos before it all melted. Imagine the buzz in the neighborhood had someone gone by & seen the new frazzled haired neighbor running around outside in his pajamas. Oh dear:((

LOOKING NORTHWEST PAST OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR

Little Cora’s condition today was same as yesterday. Still eating very little. Thanks to readers sending in suggestions & we have tried many of them but no success yet. Did manage to get an anti-bacteria pill into her first thing this morning & another one tonight. Mentally & physically she’s still holding her own……but it’s just the appetite thing. She does seem to shiver a fair bit.

THE KIDS:))

As predicted, I spent my day on the end of a paint brush. Am doing the laundry room as well as the kitchen. Weather outside was dreadful with rain, sleet & snow showers all day. No electricity in the house yet so every time a dark cloud went over I used my pocket flashlight to peer & paint into the dark corner areas under the kitchen cupboards. As most people know, it’s not the painting itself that is time consuming, it’s all the prep work. Washing walls & taping. Should be able to wrap the job up Monday morning. Could have done it later this afternoon but it was just toooooo cold!!

SOME BACKYARD COLOR AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY

Disappointed to see Javelina’s right in our back yard this afternoon. We obviously have some holes in our fence that have to be mended. Javelina’s (wild pigs) are a serious threat to a dog so we have to be extra vigilante when Pheebs & the Motor are out. Also got to find & fix those holes in the fences!!

It was a mixed bag of tunes I had cranked up today. ZZ Top, George Thorogood & The Destoyers, Stray Cats, Dwight Yoakim, Dire Straits, Bee Gee’s Saturday Night Fever, and Emerson Lake & Palmer just to mention a few. Over 5 hours of painting & non stop great musical memories:)))))

OUR SUNDAY NEIGHBORHOOD

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A young and foolish pilot wanted to sound cool on the aviation frequencies. This was his first time approaching a field during nighttime, and instead of making any official requests to the tower, he said, "Guess who?" The controller switched the field lights off and replied, "Guess where!"

People go to Arizona to escape winter and there you have snow on the ground and here in Nebraska it's 80 degrees. Doesn't seem quite right, does it? Will sleep with a window open a little again tonight... in MARCH!!Crazy.

Here is another hug for the Motormouse from us and from Abby too! Hard stuff. Love those colors you are painting, Al, and love the look of the snow on the desert. I left the snow behind in Rocky Point today and found sun at the coast. Crazy stuff, this weather. A weak ankle is a pain in the patootie. big time. I have learned to use walking sticks, but can still fall off a half inch step now and then. good luck, Kelly.

Cora could have ingested a cacti thorn in that manure. I hope the vet took xrays.

Also, best treatment for sprained ankle: VERY cold water foot bath with ankle submerged, followed by as warm as you can stand it, then cold again, then hot. End with cold. Take Aleve, too. It does have healing properties.

Seeing that snow is kind of like watching a scary movie. I don't like scary movies. Hate to say it, (actually, no I don't) but it was sunny and shirt sleeve weather here yesterday on the patio. Spring comes quite early in Vienna, and I'm OK with that. Not sure I could get used to those fluctuating desert temperatures. Keeps it interesting I suppose.

It was a strange day yesterday,,,,Not the best, but we sure needed some moisture,,Thats the first form of moisture I remember this year so far. Over an inch out here, but no snow..... We made it to church and back home without gettin wet, then I went to loading bullets in my Gun Shop with XM playing some neat old western tunes on channel 56, Willie Nelson's Roadhouse... Plus I had the little eletric heater on. Very comfortable and I got a couple hundred bullets loaded.... Can't wait to see pictures of your paint job....Hopin Ms Cora and now Kelly get better soon,,,,

hey Al and Kelly....do you have a little sweater for Motor? She may be running a fever and just needing a bit of extra warmth. Kelly, don't laugh, but vitamin C helps reduce swelling in addition to the RICE. You can ice every 20 to 30 minutes if the swelling is out of control. Al, we are pleased that you are the healthy one this time. You and Pheebs are in charge now!

So sorry to hear about Kelly's misfortune. Remember the RICE formula, which you most likely know, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Sending lots of good thoughts and healing energy your way for little Cora. If you have a plastic eye dropper you might try small amounts of Kefer. The eye dropper would get it past her throat. Just a thought. Love you music choice for painting Al. Staying Alive by the Bee Gee's, gotta love it! I love cleaning house to Saturday Night Fever, gives one a good work-out.

As dreadful as the weather was, the snow made for interesting pictures. We did not get the snow, but there is ice on the car's windshield this morning. (monday) I sure hope Motor Mouse is going to recover soon.

We have the wild pigs plus a mountain lion or 2 at our cabin...don't mind the deer and squirrels though.

Sorry about you ankle Kelly....and the bad weather plus little MM being sick. Is it possible MM's illness is due to her consuming the cow plops?? Maybe she got a thorn from them and it is festering in her intestines somewhere.Good luck to you all

So sorry to hear that little Motormouse is still feeling under the weather. It is good that she is at least drinking water. Hope both she and Kelly recover quickly. Snow--how bad is that in the southwest.

I know you already take fantastic pictures, but you might enjoy having a game camera (motion sensitive) set up on your new place... really interesting to see what goes on 24/7. Hope your ladies are on the mend soon.

AL'S CAMERA EQUIPMENT

A sometimes asked question readers have about my blog is what kind of a camera do I use. Well I have 5 of them and use all 5.

'UPDATE':: July 2017 Thanks to a very generous blog reader I have been able to update my Nikon camera equipment and supplement my camera gear with a couple additional fine Sony cameras as well.I now have a Nikon D7200 sporting a new Nikkor 18-300 3.5 zoom lens. Also have picked up a new Nikkor 1.8 primary 35mm lens. In addition I also now have a Sony RX100-3 camera as well as a Sony Exmore Cybershot. I have given my Canon Powershot point and shoot camera to a neighbor.

- In early 2017 I replaced my Nikon D-90 camera with a new D-3400 after the 'auto focus' feature on my aging D-90 quit working. The Nikon D-90 had been my work horse camera sporting a Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens. I used this camera for most of my landscapes and I now have it set up for night photography where 'auto focus' is not necessary.

-My older faithful and favorite Nikon D-40 finally packed it in during the summer of 2015 and I replaced it with a new Nikon D-3100 which now carries my Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4.5-6.6 lens. I use this camera & lens for most of my candid people photos, birds, animals, bugs & flower close-ups.

- Previous to my Nikon D-90, most of my photos were taken with my old faithful Nikon D-50 from 2006 to early 2011 whereupon the D-50 suffered a rather gruesome death when it fell off a table onto a cement porch in southeastern Arizona. The 70-300mm lens on the camera survived the fall but the D-50 did not. My Nikkor lenses are interchangable between the D-90 the D-3100 and the D-3400.

-My Canon Powershot SX210iS is a point & shoot camera which I carry in a case on my belt everywhere I go.-My older Canon Powershot A720iS is the camera that sits close to my recliner for most of those doggy living room photos.